Stolen helicopter remains missing as police examine flight data

Police have found no new leads in the theft of a helicopter from Mauterndorf airfield in Salzburg’s Lungau district, ORF reported Wednesday. The Robinson R44, registration OE-XHK, and the person or people who took it have not been found, a police spokeswoman said.

The helicopter was last reportedly located at 4:20 a.m. Monday over Pag, an island in Croatia. Police confirmed it had been located in Croatia but declined to give a more precise location, citing the investigation. The aircraft left Austrian airspace shortly after 2 a.m. Monday.

The search is complicated by the fact that the helicopter’s tracking systems were switched off. Austro Control spokesman Markus Pohanka said secured radar data was being examined to establish the aircraft’s route. Flight traces are being analysed in cooperation with the armed forces and police.

The helicopter belongs to Manuel Aster, a restaurateur from Wagrain in the Pongau district, and was operated by a company run by former ski jumper Thomas Morgenstern, who offered sightseeing flights in the aircraft. Police believe the person or people responsible were familiar with the airfield. Investigators are assessing secured evidence and interviewing people, including those with access to the airfield.

Aster said the helicopter was not approved for night flights. Morgenstern said he could not understand how it had been taken in the middle of the night and flown across several national borders without being spotted. The helicopter had a new value of 700,000 to 800,000 euros. Heli Austria managing director Roy Knaus told ORF Salzburg that selling it or trading its parts in Europe would be virtually impossible without the required documents. Morgenstern said the parts have serial numbers and expiry limits, making it difficult to install them legally in another helicopter in Europe.